Although you won't find every Canadian inventor in my article, you will find the Unique Canadian inventors that have made contributions to life and making life easier for man in general. Please feel free to take a look you might be surprised in what you read and learn.
Arthur Sicard:
Born in Saint-Leonard-de-Port-Maurice, Quebec and died on September 13, 1946. What makes Arthur Sicard one of Canada's Unique Inventors is he invented the modern day snow blower which many of us use across Canada and in other countries where it snows. He invented the first snow blower in 1925 and by 1927 had sold his first commercially used snow blower. He came up with this invention when he was young and delivering milk. When it snowed he couldn't go anywhere to do his deliveries and with that the idea of the modern day snow blower was born.
Peter Lymburner Robertson:
One day in 1906 Peter Robertson was travelling door to door selling screw drivers. While showing an example of how the screw drivers worked, Robertson had slipped and cut his hand. From here on out he knew that the screw driver and screws had to change. After spending a little time in his work shop, Peter Robertson had came up with the square head screw and screw driver. It proved to be such an advance at the time. Ford motor company had reported that the new screws and drivers and saved them so much time assembling cars that they produced almost twice as many cars in a day since using the new screws and drivers. Peter died in 1951 but to this day the Robertson screw driver and screws are still contractors favourite drivers and screws all over the world. The Robertson plant which was originally started by Peter Robertson is still producing new tools today.
Thomas Ahearn:
Born on the Lebreton Flats on June 24, 1855 Thomas Ahearn was a Canadian business man and inventor. He was the founder and president of Ottawa Electric Railway Company. His electric railway cars where the only cars with electric heat in the area, and was later taken over by OC Transpo. Thomas was also responsible for getting electric and gas lighting into the streets of Ottawa and in the Parliament Buildings at that time but his greatest achievement even to this day was his invention of the electric stove. He invented the electric stove in 1882 and after trial and errors he refined the design and on a cold day in 1892 Thomas Ahearn became the first person in history to cook his meal on a electric stove top. He prepared this historical meal on a stove top range he had built at the Windsor Hotel and the rest is history.
Lewis Fredrick Urry:
Born January 29, 1927 in Pontypool, Ontario Lewis Urry worked most of his life with Eveready. After years working at Eveready the owners where suffering horrible losses on the sales of batteries because consumers said they didn't have along life span and died shortly after use. This is were Lewis steps in to solve the problem. Lewis had come up with a battery solution that makes Eveready's batteries last 40 times longer then the competition and to prove this to the owners. Lewis had brought out 2 exact same remote control cars. One with the old batteries and one with the new and improved Lewis battery. Well needless to say the newer battery design by Lewis had lasted for 40 more laps then the older batteries did in the other remote control car. By 1980 the battery Lewis had design and invented became Energizer. Lewis is the inventor of the alkaline battery and lithium battery. In 1999, Lewis donated the first prototype battery to the Smithsonian Museum where it sits displayed by Edison's light bulb.
Cluny Macpherson:
Was born on March 18, 1879 in St. John's Newfoundland. Cluny Macpherson was the inventor of the gas mask which the British used I both World Wars. It was somewhere around August 1915 he invented the mask after find a German helmet he fitted it with a canvass hood with transparent eye pieces treated with chlorine-absorbing chemicals. In doing so, Cluny Macpherson had invented the gas mask which is still used in combat today!
These are only 5 Unique Canadian Inventors, but there is many more that have made their mark in Canadian history. If it wasn't for these men life as we know it could have been totally different then what we are used to today.
